Shelf mountings



y 1968 E. w. SAIBERLICH 3331636 SHELF MOUNTINGS Filed 001;. 273 1966 v INVENTOR ERWIN W, SAIBERLICH ATTOR NEYS United States Patent O 3,381,636 SHELF MOUNTINGS Erwin W. Saiberlieh, 1719 W. Reid Drive, Appleton, Wis. 54911 Filed Oct. 27, 1966, Sex. N0. 589,901 9 Claims. (C1. 108-152) ABSTRACT OF TI-IE DISCLOSURE A shelf mounting compm'simg an elongated strip havimg a t-op ridge and havimg an immer edge adapted to bear against the Wall which is greater depth than its outer edge, securing screws extendimg through the mounting strip below the ridge, and a -shelf cf uniform cross-sectiom having a bottom recess at its immer edge shaped to imterfit With the mounting strip and its ridge, the inner edge of the shelving being f imcreased thickness t0 conceal the -screw heads and to provide increased bearing surface, With the imcreased thickmess of the shelf merging imto said increased thickness at the bottom of the mounting strip.

Summary Heretofore shelves have been diflicult to install and there have been complicated conmectimg means for making a connect-ion betweem the immer edge of the shelf and the Wall. The present invention provides a shelf construction where a mounting strip cam be conmected by screws t0 the wall and where the shelf has its immer edge so reces-sed as to imtenfit With the cross-sectional shape 0f the mounting strip t0 cover the mounting strip screws and provide a str0ng bearing surface for the shelf, the mounting strip also haVing a cross-sectional shape t0 provide ei bearing surface thronghout its length below the screwS; With t-his arrangememt, omce the mounting strips are in pl-ace, a shelf can be attached without t0ols t0 a mounting strip in such a way that the mounting strip is unmoticeable.

A prima-ry object of the present invention is to provide a mounting of shelves for use 0m any vertical wall presenting m0 visible means 0f support for the mounted shelves, and which elimimates the usual metal brackets 0r the 1ike custornarily required for the support of wall mounted shelves.

A further object 0f the invention i-s t0 provide shelf mountings imclndimg shelving and mounting strips, both of which can be sold by'a lunrber dealer 0r supplier in any stated lemgt-hs and them be subsequemtly sawed 011 by the user fit bis particular requirements.

A further 0bject of the invention is to provide shelf mountings wherein shelves can be very expeditiously and easily mounted 0m a vertical wall 0f a room and can be quickly rem0ved whem reqnired.

A further 0bject of the invention is to provide a shelf mounting which results im very meat and attractive wall moumted shelves -devoid of visible brackets, screws and other extermal mounting meams.

A further object 0f the invention is t0 provide a shelf mounting for a room Wall including a mounting strip and a specially formed shelf rnember wherein, when the assembly is completed, the mounting strip is imvisible and merges imto the immer edge ortion of the shelf.

A further object 0f the invention is to provide a shelf mounting which is meat and attractive in appearamce, is relatively inexpemsive, is streng and rigid, which is easy t0 assemble and moumt or dissamble, and which is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects im view the invention consists of the impr-0ved shelf mounting and its parts and combinatioms as Set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanyimg drawing im which the same referemce characters indicate the sarne parts in all 015 the views:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, showimg the shelf mounting strip applzied to the vertical wall facing of a room, the wall facing im turn =beiug m0umted 0m spaced-apart, vertical 2 by 4s;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portiom of a piece 0f shelving engaged by the mounting strip, the vertical supports and Wall facimg being omitted; and

FIG. 3 is am enlarged vertical sectional view taken approxirnately along line 33 of FIG. 1, only also showing section the shelvimg carried by the mounting strip.

Withim the contemplation of the present invention the improved shelf mounting is adapted to be app1ied t0 the face of any vertical wa1l. The Wall may take the form of a pl-amked wood wall, or the shelving may be mounted 011 a plaster wall or any type of dry wall construction. Merely by way 0f example there is illu-strated im FIGS. 1 and 3 a wa1l oomstruction wherein there are vertical 2 by 4s, indicated by the humeral 6, at 16" imtervals. In the embodiment il1ustr-ated these spaced vertical supports 6 have secured thereto a facing 7 0f plasterboard 0r other suitable material.

The numeral 8 imdicates a novel forrn 0f elomgated mounting strip which is adapted to be secured to the facimg material 7 at a desired elevatiom and t0 the upn'ghts 6 by means 0-f screws 9 which pass through openings 10 therefor im the mounting strip 8, the heads cf the screws beimg countersunk as shown. The mounting strip is of wood 0r -other suita-ble material and can be secured from a lumber dealer er supplier in a desired length t0 be subsequently sawed to the final required lemgth by the imstaller. The top edge of the mounting strip 8, coextensive With its length, is formed With a shouldered recess 11 to provide forwardly there0f am npstanding tenon ridge 12. The mounting strip is of substantial depth. Pmferably the lower surface cf the mounting strip 8 is beveled or curved 0m a radius, as shown at 13, and the height of the immer face of the strip 8 is, by way of example 1", and the upstamdimg tenon ridge 12 projects upwardly The fr0nt or outer -face of the mounting strip 8 should be about 1% im height, and the overall breadth of the mounting strip is approximately Am extent of shelving t0 be mounted 0m the mounting strip 8 fior horizontal projectiom into the room from the Wall facing 7 is indicated generally by the murmeral 14. Theshelvimg can be formed of wood 0r other suitable material and is preferably about 9" wide and can be furnished to the imstaller or cut by him in a desired leng-th t0 conform With the overall lemgth of the shelf desired and t0 the ultimate length of the mounting strip 8. The shelving has increased thickness adjacemt the mounting strip. In the preferred fiorm illustrated, the shelf 14 at its freut edge is preferably about thick, but from its front edge, as imdicated -at a in FIGS. 2 and 3 to about the p'oint b, toward the rear in said figures, the shelf becomes progressively thicker, so that at point b it has a thickmess of approximately 1%. The 10Wer face of the shelving t0 provide the taper may be plane 0r 0m a slight curvature. Extending lengthwise adjacent the immer edge of the shelving 14, from the bottom upwardly, is a shouldered recess 15 (See FIGS. 2 and 3) which is shaped and proportioned to exactly receive therein the c-onnecting means of the mounting strip, which im the preferred form illustrated is a tenom ridge 12 0m the t0p 0f the mounting strip 8 With "an el0ngated recess 11 therebehind.

In order t0 assembled the compomemts cf the shelvimg and t0 mount the sarne 0m the Wall facing 7, the desired length of mounting strip 8 is applied to the wall face 7 and uprights 6 in the manmer previously described and as is illustrated in FIG. 1. Next, an extent of shelving 14, to provide a shelf f the proper length and correspond- 'ing to the length 01 the moun-ting strip, is easily manually engaged with the secured mounting strip, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the recessed and shouldered po-rtion cf the shelving engaging the cornplernentary tenon and recessed portions of the mounting strip so that the mountring strip and inner edge portion of the shelving a1'e to all intents and purposes integral with the mounting strip being engaged within the recessed inner edge portion of the shelving and hence n0t visible when the installation is completed. The recess cf the shelving has a fiorward, vertically disposed, elongated bearing Wall 16 which meets the front face of the mounting strip and corresponds thereto in height, and in the preferred emb0diment illustrated the downwardly curved or tapered bottom portion 13 of the mounting strip forrns a flush continuation cf the thickened inner portion of the bottom of the shelving and merges thereinto.

By virtue of the fact that the shelving is considerably thicker near the mounting strip and in the preferred em bodiment extends above the tenon ridge 12 on the mounting strip, when weight is imposed on the top surface 01 the shelving 14 any tendency of the shelving to pivot on its m-ounting is eliminated becanse of the lowered location of the fulcrum point. The wide composite inner face, afforded by the inner and of the shelving plus the thickened inner face of the mounting strip, increases the eifective bearing surface relative to the wall facing and results in a very rigid and stable shelf which will support a rel-atively heavy load without the need for external braces or supports.

The improved shelf mounting is very neat and attractive in appearance and is easy t0 assemble and install or to disassenible. It is furthermore inexpensive and is weil adapted for the purposes set forth.

What I claim is:

1. A shelf construction comprising in combination a mounting strip having an elongated inner face, having an outer face, and having a top surface provided with an elongated upstanding ridge spaced outwardly from said inner face to provide an elongated recess behind the ridge, securing elements extending inwardly from the outer face 0f the mounting strip through the latter at spaced intervals in locations below the m-onnting strip recesses, said monnting strip being adapted to be attached to a Wall by said securing elements with said elongated inner face in contact with the wall, a shelf of uniform cross section substantially throughout its length having an inner edge and having a bottorn recess cornmunicating with said inner edge, which recess has a cross-sectional shape so that the inner edge 0f the shelf rernovably and snugly interfits by downward rnovement with the ridge and recess 011 the top surface of the mounting strip, With the inner edge of the shelf being adapted to abut the Wall, said bottom recess of the shelf having a forward, vertically-disposed,

elongated bearing wall throughout the lengch .of the shelf which is in contact throughout the length of the shelf With the elongated outer face 01 the mounting strip in assembly, the shelf being of increased thickness throughout its length adjacent said bearing wall and mounting strip so that said bearing Wall is cf increased depth sufficient to project a substantial distance below the bottom of the elongated recess of. the mounting strip.

2. A shelf construction as defined in claim 1 in which the -bearing wall of the shelf recess projects downwardly a suflicient distance to cover the securing elements.

3. A shelf eonstruction as defined in claim 1 in which the elongated inner face of the mounting strip which is in contact With the wall h-as sufiicient depfh to project downwardly below the lowermost portion of the outer face of the mounting strip to provide increased bearing surface for said inner face.

4. A shelf construction as claimed in claim 1 in which the front of the elongated ridge of the mounting strip is flush With the outer face of the mounting strip and in which the bearing Wall cf the recess of the shelf also bears against said front of the ridge.

5. A shelf construction as clairned in claim 1 in which the immer face of the mounting strip depends a substantial distance below its outer face and below the greatest thickness portion of the shelf.

6. A shelf construction -as claimed in claim 1 in which 7 the inner face of the mounting strip depends a substantial distance below its outer face and below the greatest thickness portion of the shelf and in which the lower surface of the mounting strip is shaped to merge with the bottom 0f the shelf.

7. A shelf construction as claimed in claim 5 in which said bottom surface cf the mounting strip is curved into said merging relationship.

S. A shelf construction as claimed in claim 7 in which the inner portion of the lower surface of the shelf is curved in Said merging relationship With the bottom surface of the mounting strip.

9. A shelf constructi-on as claimed in claim 1 in which the mounting strip provides the sole means for securing the shelf to a Wall and for supporting it.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 178,5 34 6/ 1876 Latham 248224 786,935 4/ 1905 Wright l 248243 1,452911 4/1923 Gronsdahl 108152 1,802 245 4/ 1931 Foretich 248- 243 1,940454 12/1933 Karnes 108- 152 8190 243 6/1965 Pira 108-152 3259082 7/1966 Williams 108152 3311435 3/ 1967 Heritage 248224 JAMES T. MCCALL Primary Examiner. 

